NITI Aayog, the government’s think tank, had proposed the levy of a fee of ₹500 on two-wheelers, ₹1,000 on threewheelers and an average of ₹12,000 on four-wheelers manufactured in the country to generate extra-budgetary resources of about ₹7,500 crore to be used to incentivise sales of electric vehicles.

FAME-I was certainly successful in commencing India’s mission of zero-emission mobility, but in 2019, FAME should help the country meet the intended outcome: incentivising EV usage instead of merely subsiding asset purchases.

Compulsory purchases from MSMEs made by state-run firms were increased to 25% from 20% of their total procurement and the GST Council raised GST Tax exemption limit to Rs 40 lakh from the earlier cap of Rs 20 lakh.

If ever there was a time for the Indian automobile industry to take stock and recalibrate its sustainability strategy, it is now. Stricter emission norms, higher taxes, the lack of infrastructure such as charging stations and cleaner fuels, and the uncertainty of mainstream consumer demand for electric and hybrid vehicles, create several challenges for the Indian industry, as it identifies its environment impact strategy in the face of continued pressure to make a change. Recent regulatory Read more..

Dheeraj Hinduja, chairman at India’s second largest truck maker Ashok Leyland, prefers a low profile, but with managing director Vinod Dasari leaving at the end of the month, he says he’s become more “hands-on”.